109 HRES 840 IH: Celebrating the remarkable life and U.S. House of Representatives 2006-05-24 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 109th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 840 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 24, 2006 Mr. Hinchey (for himself, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Carson, Mr. Snyder, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, Mr. McGovern, and Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform RESOLUTION Celebrating the remarkable life and accomplishments of Floyd Patterson.

Whereas Floyd Patterson was born on January 4, 1935, in a cabin in rural Waco, North Carolina, and was one of 11 children; Whereas, when Floyd Patterson was a young child, his family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where his family struggled financially and he got into some trouble; Whereas, when Floyd Patterson was ten years old, he was sent upstate to the Wiltwyck School for Boys, where he began to turn his life around; Whereas, at the age of 14, Floyd Patterson began boxing under the legendary trainer Constantine Cus D’Amato, and, at the age of 17, Floyd Patterson won a gold medal in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, boxing as a middleweight; Whereas, in 1956, Floyd Patterson became the youngest boxer to win the world heavyweight championship; Whereas, in 1960, Floyd Patterson became the first boxer ever to regain the world heavyweight championship; Whereas Floyd Patterson went on to fight a total of 64 fights, winning 55 of those fights, 40 of which were by knockout; Whereas Floyd Patterson, known as the Gentleman Boxer, helped his opponents to their feet after knocking them out; Whereas, in 1972, Floyd Patterson retired to his 17-acre farm in New Paltz, New York, and later, he served as the chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission and counseled troubled teens through the New York State Office of Children and Family Services; Whereas Floyd Patterson welcomed dozens of young men into his home, to the boxing ring he built in his barn, where he taught them how to box and to live with the same dignity and grace that he had personified; Whereas, in 1987, Floyd Patterson was elected into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and, in 1991, was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame; Whereas Floyd Patterson, though small in stature for a heavyweight boxer, was large in spirit, and gave so generously of himself to the young men he trained and to the communities of the Hudson Valley, including his generous support of the athletic facilities at New Paltz High School and the State University of New York at New Paltz; and Whereas Floyd Patterson was regarded as a hero, not only for his accomplishments in the boxing ring, but for his accomplishments in all aspects of his life: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives celebrates the remarkable life and accomplishments of a great American athlete, Floyd Patterson, who, after overcoming adversity in his own life, went on to inspire others to be the same kind of leader and role model that he was throughout his life.